Sears, J.C. Penney drop Paula Deen, but cookbooks soar on Amazon

By Andria Cheng

The fallout from Paula Deen’s acknowledgment of using racial slurs continued on Friday, with Sears Holdings Corp.
/quotes/zigman/95136/quotes/nls/shldSHLD and J.C. Penney Co. the latest to join the long list of retailers and other companies severing ties with the Southern celebrity chef.

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Paula Deen

“After careful consideration of all available information, we have made the decision to phase out all products tied to the brand,” Sears, parent of both its namesake department store chain and Kmart, said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate the situation. Our members’ needs will be given first priority.”

Since Deen’s past use of racial slurs surfaced in a lawsuit, a slew of media and other endorsement partners, including Food Network, pork producer Smithfield Foods and Caesars Entertainment, have all dropped her. The world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart
/quotes/zigman/245476/quotes/nls/wmtWMT this week also said it’s ending its relationships with her and won’t place new orders beyond those already committed.

Other retailers, including Target
/quotes/zigman/253872/quotes/nls/tgtTGT, Home Depot Inc., QVC, Walgreen, also have either removed or said they would phase out her products in their physical or online stores.

Deen’s problems may be more than just about the latest scandal. The Wall Street Journal reported the ratings of her show on the Food Network have slid substantially over the past season, already complicating her contract negotiations.

However, her empire still looks to have some supporters, including Alice Travel, which books her cruise ship travels, the Huffington Post reported.

In fact, the book, “Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up,” already ranked as one of the best-selling books on Amazon.com even though it’s only for preorder and won’t be released until Oct. 15.

In the latest twist, however, The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday that Random House’s publishing arm said it was canceling the coming publication of the book. Deen’s agent Janis Donnaud told the Journal that she’s confident that they’ll find a new publisher.

Her two other published books, including “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible,” also are listed as among the best-selling titles on Amazon.

“I don’t normally buy items for a political statement but this time I have,” a review posted on Saturday and listed on Amazon as the most helpful favorable post said. “Paula has freedom of speech and I have the power of the buck.”

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About Behind the Storefront

Behind the Storefront is a blog about all things retail. It’s aimed at investors, shoppers and anyone else with a passion for learning about what drives consumer behavior. Hosted by Andria Cheng, Behind the Storefront will cover the business, brands and shopping behavior that’s behind some of the biggest companies, and largest employers, in the world. You can reach Andria at Acheng@marketwatch.com.